Texas and Louisiana Road Trip during Covid-19 day5, ep.6: Café du Mond

If you want to read my Louisiana travelogue from the beginning, click here!

 

 

Last time, we wandered around the Garden District where many mansions are located.

Click here for the previous article with many photos!

 

 

Now, this is the afternoon session of the third day of the French Quarter.

 

 

We will be using this article to

 

• Wandering around the French Quarter looking for souvenirs…
• Taking a break at a very famous café…
• Haveing a meal at a nice restaurant

 

Visit St. Louis Cathedral, the oldest Episcopal Church in the United States

 

The weather was bad from this morning, with a light drizzle in the sky. The cathedral also had rain clouds in the background. We entered the cathedral as if rushed by the uncertain sky.

 

The facade with its twin columns and semicircular arches is impressive. From a distance, it looks like a castle, perhaps because of the pointed roof?

 

 

The inside of the church is like this, with three naves. Spacious. The nave arcade is not an arch.

 

I’m not a Christian, but I really like Christian architecture. I don’t know why I like it. The present cathedral is the third generation of the building (the first and second generations were lost due to fire and other reasons.) It was completed in 1794 and renovated in the 1830s. It was completed in 1794 and renovated in the 1830s. I was deeply moved to think that this building was built at a time when France was in turmoil due to the Revolution.

 

 

There is also Jeanne d’Arc.

 

 

Walking around the city, looking for souvenirs.

After visiting the cathedral, I think we should start looking for some souvenirs…

We don’t buy a lot of souvenirs for ourselves, partly because we don’t have much material desires, but also because we’re too occupied with memories and good food.

 

However, I heard on Twitter the other day that buying books about your travels might be a good souvenir, so I’d like to start collecting them next time.

 

 

I want to give gifts to my family and friends, though, because of my ego that I hope they will be happy. We continued to wander around the French Quarter in a bit of a drizzle…

 

 

For my friend, I got the famous pralines, and for my mother-in-law’s husband, something whiskey flavored. Basically, pralines are sold in many places, but this place is easy to find because there is a store across the street from Café du Monde.

 

 

When we were looking for a souvenir, soap bubbles flew into the air. It was so beautiful. I haven’t seen soap bubbles in a long time….

 

 

we wandered around and went to the Mississippi River. There is a streetcar running along the river.

 

 

Other souvenirs we bought were scented candles with New Orleans-like names for my sister-in-law, hot chili powder for my sister-in-law’s boyfriend, and a Louisiana-like picture book with French and English words for my toddler sister-in-law.

 

When you get tired of looking for souvenirs in the French Quarter, take a break at Café du Monde.

 

We also went to the very famous Cafe du Monde in the French Quarter!

It’s a covered terrace with great ventilation, the tables were sprayed and cleaned every time, and I got the impression that it seemed to be rather safe for Covid-19.

 

 

By the way, order & pick up at the window facing the street.

The opening hours have been shortened, from 8 am to 8 pm. Before Covid-19, they were open 24 hours a day, so you could enjoy beignets immorally at night, but it’s a shame that you can’t do that now, healthy.

 

 

Originally, you could enter the restaurant, but since it is now Covid-19. However, there is a roof so you can eat beignets without worrying about the rain.

For your information, there is a store across the street from the cafe that sells Café du Monde goodies, but it is temporarily closed. If you want to buy goods, you can do so at the other ordering counter to the right of the cafe.

 

The beignets look like this. They’re buried in powdered sugar in the bag. But although they look amazing, they were not too sweet. The dough is light and the surface is crispy.

I was covered in powdered sugar when I ate it, but who can eat it well…?

 

 

When I saw this coat of arms, I had a strong impression that it was the coat of arms of royalty and nobility!
But here in New Orleans, it is a symbol of the city, as represented by the city flag.
This difference in impressions is interesting.

 

Dinner was at Luke, located outside the French Quarter. Amazing how good our first gumbo was!

 

Well, today is our last night in New Orleans. Once back at the hotel, take a shower and go to the restaurant. We will go to the restaurant on foot.

 

This building we saw on the way also has a nice atmosphere.

 

 

We arrived at the restaurant.
According to Google, it wasn’t that expensive, but the reviews and the atmosphere looked good, so we decided to go here.

 

 

The tiles are cute. I adore hexagonal tiles.

 

 

This is what it looks like beyond the revolving door.

The number of seats had been reduced considerably, making the restaurant feel more spacious, but it was almost full. A hand sanitizer was set up in the front on the right side.

 

 

First, an appetizer. Louisiana rabbit pate. Don’t tell me you caught a wild rabbit? It’s so fresh…?

I really like this. Each portion is rather large, so it’s enough for two or three people to share.

Each portion is large enough for two or three people to share, but the overall flavor is strong and heavy, so it may not be to everyone’s taste. If you’re not a fan of strong flavors, or if you don’t like meat with a strong animal smell such as gibier… If you don’t like strong flavors, or if you don’t like meat with a strong animal smell such as gibier, you may not like this dish.

In addition to the baguette, you also get tomato confit (bottom left in the photo), mustard, pickled cucumber, and jalapeño jam to go with the pate. A little of these on top will soften and change the flavor.

 

 

This is baked oysters with cheese on top. I read somewhere on a blog that this is a Louisiana specialty, so I had to try it.

They bake good oysters with good cheese on top, so of course, they’re good! But if I had to say, I can’t taste the oyster. It’s like something thick and delicious. Delicious.

 

 

We also got to try Louisiana’s famous gumbo!

It was insanely delicious! I was so surprised. I wasn’t expecting much because it didn’t look spectacular (sorry).

The soup was thick and rich with dashi (Japanese soup stock), and the rice on top was just a little bit too much. It’s the best.

I may be offended, but I want to add noodles to this dish, and thick noodles at that. The soup is so thick and layered that even if you put thick noodles in it, you can’t lose. It’s so good, I really wanted to refill, but the beignet effect was too much for my stomach. It’s a regret (really a regret).

 

 

I heard that gumbo is a dish that varies from restaurant to restaurant.

So if you’re interested in trying gumbo in Louisiana and New Orleans, it might be fun to check out a few places beforehand and compare them. I’d like to go on a gumbo tour next time, too!

 

 

I recommend this restaurant called Luke. The official website is here.

The staff and the old lady who, I think, was the owner of the restaurant were warm and welcoming.
The food was delicious as mentioned above, and the price range was reasonable. The interior is also chic and has a nice atmosphere.

It’s a bit far from the French Quarter, but within walking distance from the south side. If you’re looking for a good restaurant in New Orleans, this is it!

 

The end – tomorrow is the last day of the French Quarter.

 

Well, I’m full! We walked a lot today and ate a lot.

Tomorrow we will say goodbye to New Orleans and stay overnight in Galvston, just south of Houston.

 

 

Here’s the whole itinerary for this trip!

 

• Day 1: Depart San Antonio (TX) for Houston (Overnight in Houston)
• Day 2: Visit Sea Rim State Park to see the Texas Sea (Overnight in Lafayette)
• Day 3: Travel to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to see the Polarized Glass Dome (1st night in the French Quarter)
• Day 4: Visit the giant salt lake, the second largest in the U.S. (This article! French Quarter, 2nd night)
• Day 5: Visit a beautiful house in the Garden District and go to a very famous cafe (French Quarter, 3rd night)
• Day 6: Return to Lafayette to see the magnificent cathedral and play on the beach (stay overnight in Galveston).
• Day 7: Return from Galveston to San Antonio